The Supernatural World (U00170)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : LLC-3-U00170

The course examines magico-religious belief, witchcraft and supernatural entities in Scotland. It is intended to be an in-depth exploration of an area formerly explored hitherto only superficially in Scottish Ethnology honours courses. In particular, it deals with material from the now deleted course, Traditional Cosmology, and witchcraft, ritual language and divinatory customs formerly presented in the course Custom and Belief (revised for the coming session). A dominant theme will be the identification and interpretation of vestiges of supernatural belief still extant and deeply embedded in Scottish cultural life. Comparative material from other Celtic-language cultures and Scandinavia will also feature. This complex and much-neglected aspect of our cultural heritage is explored through a combination of empirical data (provided by case studies and archive holdings) and theoretical contextualisation.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : A pass at Scottish Ethnology 2 is normally required.

? Costs : None.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Scottish Ethnology, (School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, Schedule G)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Semester 2 (Blocks 3-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

First Class Information

Date	Start	End	Room	Area	Additional Information
14/09/2007	11:00	12:00	Room 1.09, 27-29 George Square	Central	Conference Room

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Wednesday	11:10	13:00	Central

? Additional Class Information : Conference Room, 27 George Square.

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

The intended learning outcomes of the course are:
- expertise in the interpretation and understanding of magico-religious belief and the supernatural in Scotland from the earliest sources to the modern period;
- an awareness of the range and variety of approaches to studying the supernatural and knowledge of a substantial number of critical texts;
- knowledge of linguistic, literary, cultural, psychological and socio-historical contexts in which supernatural belief is found and knowledge of useful and precise critical terminology.